Written Answers Monday 5 September 2005

Scottish Executive

Autism

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to start work on compiling a set of diagnostic guidelines for adults in relation to Autism, as recommended by the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network.

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) Council, which is independent of the Scottish Executive, supports and co-ordinates the development of clinical guidelines for NHS Scotland. A SIGN guideline is currently being developed for children and young people up to the age of 18 years with autism spectrum disorders. The guideline will address assessment, diagnosis and clinical interventions. Any decision on the development of a guideline for adults with autism spectrum disorders will be a matter for the SIGN Council.

Environment

Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-16156 by Ross Finnie on 10 May 2005, what progress has been made in its consideration of environmental courts; when its analysis of evidence from other jurisdictions will be complete, and whether it will publish the results.

Ross Finnie: An information paper on the role of environmental courts in certain other jurisdictions has been prepared and I am arranging for this to be placed in Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 37384) and on the Executive’s website

Environment

Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has completed its review of environmental appeals and whether it will publish the results.

Rhona Brankin: Following an internal scoping study of a review of environmental appeals (which was completed in early 2004), we are taking this matter forward in the context of our consideration of the Partnership Agreement commitment on Environmental Courts.

Equal Pay

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average wage levels have been in each year since 1997, broken down by gender.

Nicol Stephen: The preferred source for earnings estimates is the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), which is carried out by the Office for National Statistics.

  The following table gives the median gross weekly pay for full-time employee jobs by gender.

  Table 1 Median1 Gross Weekly Pay (£) for Full-Time Employee Jobs2, Broken Down by Gender, Scotland 1997 to 2004.

  

Year
Male
Female
All


19973
378.0
272.4
336.8


1998
357.1
256.9
313.8


1999
370.0
274.6
329.0


2000
380.5
280.9
338.4


2001
398.2
296.7
355.1


2002
414.4
311.0
371.7


2003
419.2
326.0
381.3


2004
433.2
345.5
394.5



  Source: 1997, New Earnings Survey (NES), 1998 to 2004, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings.

  Notes:

  1. The median is the value below which 50 per cent of employee jobs fall. It is preferred over an arithmetic average for earnings data as it is influenced less by large or extreme values.

  2. Employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence.

  3. ASHE data is currently only available from 1998 onwards. Prior to 1998 the preferred source of earnings data was the New Earnings Survey (NES). However, caution should be used when comparing data from NES and ASHE as they are not directly comparable.

Equal Pay

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to discuss the implementation of "single status" schemes with (a) individual local authorities such as Aberdeen City Council or Moray Council or (b) COSLA.

Mr Tom McCabe: We have no plans to meet with either COSLA or individual local authorities to discuss the implementation of the Single Status Pay Agreement.

Equal Pay

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has considered the implications for local authorities and their budgets of the recent rulings on equal pay in England.

Mr Tom McCabe: Although the Scottish Executive provides financial support for salaries and wages in the grant provided to local authorities, it is the responsibility of each local authority to allocate its financial resources to reflect local needs and priorities. In accordance with current legislation, the responsibility for the terms and conditions of local authority employees also lies with individual local authorities.

  The Single Status Pay Agreement was negotiated and agreed between local authorities and the unions in 1999. The Scottish Executive has no plans to provide further financial assistance for the implementation of the Single Status Pay Agreement. It is for local authorities to consider the implications of agreements which they negotiate with any party.

Ferry Services

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the European Commission’s Decision of 15 July 2005 on state aid means that some or all of the ferry routes operated by Caledonian MacBrayne will be exempt from tendering.

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the European Commission’s Decision of 15 July 2005 on state aid means that there is no obligation on ministers to put out to tender island ferry routes that carry less than 300,000 passengers per year.

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the implications for the tendering of Northern Isles ferry routes will be of the European Commission’s Decision of 15 July 2005 on state aid.

Tavish Scott: The European Commission "Decision on the application of Article 86(2) of the Treaty to state aid in the form of public sector compensation granted to certain undertakings entrusted with the operation of services of general economic interest", announced on 15 July 2005 ,  provides an administrative framework which exempts certain state aids from notification to the European Commission. It does not, however, exempt public authorities from any other requirements in relation to state aids rules nor exempt them from the requirements of sectoral state aid rules. This means that, in relation to the Clyde and Hebrides, and Northern Isles ferry services, the Scottish Executive is still required to comply with the terms of the maritime state aid rules (the Maritime Cabotage Regulation) and, in particular, the requirement to act in a non-discriminatory way in respect of all community shipowners when concluding public service contracts or imposing public service obligations relating to the provision of cabotage services.

Ferry Services

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive which routes currently operated by Caledonian MacBrayne carry more than 300,000 passengers per year.

Tavish Scott: Caledonian MacBrayne Ltd currently operates five routes which carry more than 300,000 passengers per year. These routes are: Oban to Craignure, Gourock to Dunoon, Wemyss Bay to Rothesay, Largs to Cumbrae and Ardrossan to Brodick.

Ferry Services

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total number of passengers carried on the Caledonian MacBrayne network was in each of the last five years.

Tavish Scott: The number of passengers Caledonian MacBrayne has carried over the last five financial years is set out in the following table:

  

Financial Year
No. of Passengers


2000-01
4,790,000


2001-02
4,850,000


2002-03
4,884,000


2003-04
5,214,000


2004-05
5,358,000

Forestry

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the removal of deer fencing and the lack of deer fencing for new forest development encourages the infection of animals from ticks; if so, what effect this may have on increasing the risk of humans catching diseases, such as Lymes Disease, from ticks, and whether the Executive will now ask the Forestry Commission to review its policy on deer fencing.

Rhona Brankin: The Executive has no evidence to suggest that removal or the lack of deer fencing encourages the infection of animals from ticks or increases the risk of humans catching diseases.

  The Executive has no plans to ask the Forestry Commission to review the Joint Agency Statement and Guidance on Deer fencing which has been adopted by Forestry Commission Scotland, Deer Commission for Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department.

Museums

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what grants each heritage museum has received in each of the last five years from national bodies, government bodies, local authorities and the National Lottery.

Patricia Ferguson: Information about aggregate grant funding for individual non-national museums is not held centrally. However, the Scottish Museums Council has provided the following details of its disbursements on behalf of the Scottish Executive:

  

Type of Museum
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05


Independent (£)
53,284
456,354
582,965
583,719
387,344


Local authority (£)
81,775
88,309
426,170
535,261
1,030,670


Regimental (£)
433
8,423
1,139
534
13,295


University (£)
9,535
20,376
152,831
164,054
31,245


Total (£)
145,027
573,462
1,163,105
1,283,568
1,462,554

Racial Offences

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-17815 by Elish Angiolini QC on 9 August 2005, how many children accused of a statutory racial offence and separately racial aggravation were referred to the Reporter to the Children’s Panel in each year since 2002-03 to date, broken down by police force area.

Elish Angiolini QC: The information requested is set out in the following table:

  Number of Children referred to Children’s Reporter by Procurators Fiscal

  

 
Police Force Area
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05
Grand Total


Racial Charge
Central
12
13
44
69


Fife
5
10
5
20


Grampian
4
0
5
9


Northern
1
0
1
2


Strathclyde
55
99
97
251


Tayside
0
5
5
10


Lothian and Borders
14
9
15
38


Racial Charge Total
91
136
172
399


Racial Aggravation
Fife
0
1
1
2


Northern
0
0
1
1


Strathclyde
11
25
17
53


Tayside
2
3
0
5


Lothian and Borders
9
8
6
23


Racial Aggravation Total
22
37
25
84



  Notes :

  1. The information in this table has been extracted from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service’s Case Management Database. The database is a live, operational database used to manage the processing of reports submitted to procurators fiscal by the police and other reporting agencies.

  2. The information in the table is based on the first charge recorded for each accused person. Some accused persons who appear in this table under the "Racial Charge" heading may also have been subject to other charges in the same case involving a "Racial Aggravation", and vice versa. An accused person will appear in the table more than once if they were the subject of two or more police reports relating to separate incidents.

Rail Network

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-14906 by Nicol Stephen on 5 May 2005, whether the Strategic Rail Authority has provided the information originally requested.

Tavish Scott: The Strategic Rail Authority has provided the information requested. However, the Scottish Executive now considers this information to be commercially sensitive and cannot release it.

Rail Network

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much was raised in revenue from (a) each route of the ScotRail network and (b) ScotRail as a whole, in each year since 1990.

Tavish Scott: The Scottish Executive does not hold this information for years prior to the let of the current ScotRail franchise. The information the Executive has in respect of fares revenue by line of route for the current ScotRail franchise is commercially confidential.

Renewable Energy

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any estimate of the potential contribution of hydro power towards meeting energy needs and, if so, what the estimated contribution is.

Nicol Stephen: Hydro electricity currently accounts for around 8% of all electricity generated in Scotland.

  Scotland’s Renewable Energy Potential: Realising the 2020 Target, published by the Forum for Renewable Energy Development in Scotland on 20 June 2005, indicated that the scope for additional hydro schemes could amount to as much as 200MW. The report is available from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 36765).

Road Accidents

Margaret Mitchell (Central Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many fatal road accidents there have been in each of the last five years.

Tavish Scott: The information requested is published in Table 1 of Key 2004 Road Accident Statistics , copies of which are available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 36730).

Road Accidents

Margaret Mitchell (Central Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the breakdown was of the causes of road accidents in each of the last five years.

Tavish Scott: Data about injury road accidents are collected by the police and reported to the Scottish Executive using the "Stats 19" statistical report format. These returns do not cover damage only accidents.

  Prior to 1 January 2005, "Stats 19" returns did not record contributory factors so the data requested is not available centrally.

  With effect from 1 January 2005, a new set of questions was added to the "Stats 19" injury road accident reporting system. Information about contributory factors should henceforth be supplied by all police forces for personal injury road accidents which are reported either (a) following attendance at the scene by a police officer or (b) by a member of the public to police staff at a police station. In due course, therefore, the statistical system will provide information about the contributory factors for personal injury accidents.

Roads

Shiona Baird (North East Scotland) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to review the presumption in favour of building the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route, in light of concerns expressed regarding the impact of the route on oil prices and climate change.

Tavish Scott: No.

Roads

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish the A6091/A7 Route Action Plan Study.

Tavish Scott: The Scottish Executive will publish an Executive summary of the findings of the A6091/A7 Route Action Plan Study in the spring of 2006.

Roads

Shiona Baird (North East Scotland) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to assess the relative impact of each of the options for the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route on the quality of life for local people, communities and individuals with special needs and how such assessments will be weighted prior to a final decision being made on the route.

Tavish Scott: The options under consideration are being assessed against the criteria set out in the Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) a copy of which is available on the internet at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/transport/stag.pdf .

  The assessment will be informed by the responses to the public consultation held earlier this year.

Roads

Shiona Baird (North East Scotland) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has gathered on the impact of the Murtle option for the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route on the Camphill communities and to what extent this information will inform its decision on the route.

Tavish Scott: A wide range of data has been collected on the work of the communities together with information such as traffic levels, noise and air quality to help assess the impact on Camphill and inform the decision on the route. I visited the Camphill Community on 1 September.

Roads

Shiona Baird (North East Scotland) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish the consultation report on the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route.

Tavish Scott: The report will be published following the decision on the preferred route which I expect to make in the autumn.

Roads

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of recent media reports, what information and figures it has in relation to any increased costs relating to the current works to upgrade the Auchenkilns interchange on the A80 and who will be liable for any such increases.

Tavish Scott: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-18253 on 18 August 2005. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Roads

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in light of the proposed increase in population and development between Inverness and Nairn envisaged by the Highland Council, it will now agree to (a) upgrade the A96 to dual carriageway and (b) create a Nairn bypass.

Tavish Scott: In considering the need for improvements on this route and in addition to a multi-modal study of the A96 between Inverness and the airport, we are discussing the possibility of undertaking a multi-modal corridor study of the A96 with HITRANS and NESTRANS to feed into the strategic projects review which will commence before 2007.

Roads

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to upgrade the M80/A80 to motorway standard throughout.

Tavish Scott: Draft statutory orders to upgrade to motorway the remaining section of the A80 between Stepps and Haggs have been published. They have attracted a number of objections and a Public Local Inquiry has been arranged and will commence on 3 October 2005. If the outcome is favourable for the scheme, I expect construction to start in 2007.

Roads

Colin Fox (Lothians) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its reasons are for approving funding for the development of the A68 Dalkeith northern bypass.

Tavish Scott: The Dalkeith Northern Bypass will improve strategic access to the central Borders and bring relief to Dalkeith and its inhabitants by removing through traffic from the centre of the town.

Roads

Colin Fox (Lothians) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether a multi-modal study has been carried out in respect of the A68 Dalkeith northern bypass.

Tavish Scott: A multi-modal study is in hand as part of the updating exercise for the scheme.

Roads

Colin Fox (Lothians) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has investigated the impact that the proposed Borders railway link will have on traffic volumes on the proposed A68 Dalkeith northern bypass.

Tavish Scott: The impact which the Borders railway will have is being assessed as part of the updating of the scheme information. The development of the railway proposals has been recognised in the decision to proceed with a single carriageway bypass rather than a dual carriageway.

Scottish Executive Statistics

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, regarding the Scottish Executive Statistics Plan Overview and Annual Report 2004-05, what statistics have been classed as "no longer needed", as referred to in paragraphs 22 and 23; which of these statistics have been discontinued, and which have been amended and what they now measure.

Mr Tom McCabe: The information requested is given in Statistics classed as ‘no longer needed’, discontinued or amended 2004/2005 , a copy of which has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 37324).

Sir William Wallace

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Visit Scotland regarding commemorating the 700th anniversary of the execution of Sir William Wallace.

Patricia Ferguson: Tourism officials had early discussions with VisitScotland about promoting the 700th anniversary of the death of William Wallace. This has resulted in VisitScotland promoting Wallace-related events through UK and international promotional material and on the ancestralscotland.com and visitscotland.com websites.

Sport

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in the event that Glasgow is successful in its bid to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games, it will consider making representations to Her Majesty’s Government to (a) create a Commonwealth Games lottery or (b) make the newly-created Olympic Games Lottery a joint Olympic-Commonwealth lottery to assist in funding the creation of the necessary infrastructure for Glasgow to host the games.

Patricia Ferguson: On 16 August 2005 at Hampden Park, the First Minister announced that the Scottish Executive will be giving its full support to a bid by the Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland to stage the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

  We have not requested any funding from the UK Government although its support in areas such as security and visas will be most important. We expect to meet the great majority of the costs ourselves but aim to maximise corporate support and sponsorship. We will also explore the possibilities of lottery monies being available to help fund these Games.

Tourism

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met Cruise Scotland and what issues were discussed.

Patricia Ferguson: The Scottish Executive has not met with Cruise Scotland.

Tourism

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when Cruise Scotland last published its accounts.

Patricia Ferguson: Cruise Scotland last published its accounts on 19 March 2004 for the period 1 March 2002 to 28 February 2003.

Tourism

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had any discussions about tourism challenge funding for golf cruises.

Patricia Ferguson: VisitScotland has no record of any application for Challenge Funding for golf cruises.

Transport

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the establishment of a long-term transport plan, including proposed major improvements to road, rail, air and sea transport, over the period of 20 to 25 years.

Tavish Scott: Work is already under way on the development of a National Transport Strategy (NTS) for Scotland which will give a long-term strategic framework for developments in all modes of transport. The NTS will be based on widespread consultation throughout the remainder of 2005 and early 2006 and will be finalised by the middle of 2006.

  The NTS will provide the context for our Strategic Projects Review, which will commence before 2007, and will consider and then plan and prioritise Scotland’s major infrastructure investment requirements across all transport modes to 2020 and beyond.

Transport

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will state in any guidelines, guidance or other form of advice or direction to be issued to Regional Transport Partnerships (RTP) that the RTPs should provide, in order of priority, a list of the transport projects to be taken forward in their area.

Tavish Scott: Yes. This is a requirement of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2005 and will be reinforced by the Executive’s forthcoming guidance on regional transport strategies.

Vulnerable Adults

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive which organisations and individuals are represented on its policy development group considering possible legislation in respect of vulnerable adults; how they were selected, and by whom.

Lewis Macdonald: The Vulnerable Adults Steering Group is being set up to offer advice to the Scottish Executive on the development of policy on the protection of vulnerable adults. Statutory bodies with an interest and organisations with relevant experience in the field have been invited to nominate representatives. Initial invitations were issued to the following organisations:

  
Age Concern Scotland
Apex Scotland
Association of Chief Police Officers
Association of Directors of Social Work
Association of Scottish Police Superintendents
British Association of Social Workers
Community and District Nursing Association
Enable
Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland
NHS Health Scotland
Office of the Public Guardian
Scottish Association for Mental Health
Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care
Scottish Consortium for Learning Disability
Scottish Law Commission
Vulnerable Adults Alliance Scotland.


  The first steering group meeting will be held on 14 September, when members will be invited to consider the need for additional representation. Other existing groups, including The same as you? National Implementation Group and THE Autism Spectrum Disorder Reference Group will also contribute to the development of policy in this area.